Jen Psaki, White House Press Secretary, at the White House press briefing area on August 11, 2021. Alex Wong/Getty ImagesFox News asked Psaki whether she believed that Biden was responsible in vaccine hesitancy within the US.Psaki replied by saying that Trump suggested injecting "versions to poison into their veins" last year as a COVID-19 treatment.In the US, recent weeks have seen a slowdown in the uptake of COVID-19 vaccines.Check out more stories from Insider's business page.Jen Psaki, White House Press Secretary, criticized former President Donald Trump's suggestion for people to use disinfectant as COVID-19 treatment in a sharp response to a Fox News reporter’s question on Wednesday.Fox News' White House correspondent Peter Doocy asked Psaki during a daily briefing if Biden had "created any vaccine hesitancy" after he stated in September that he didn’t trust Trump as he was overseeing the initial stages of the vaccine rollout.The US has seen a slowdown in vaccine uptake in recent weeks, despite being a world leader in vaccine uptake in the earlier part of the year. Officials insist on the safety of the vaccine, as the highly infectious Delta variant causes an increase in cases throughout the country.Doocy asked for a reply, and Psaki said that there wasn't any data suggesting that Biden contributed to vaccine hesitancy.She said: "I would like to note that at the same time, just for context," the former president also suggested people inject poison into their veins in order to cure COVID. That's why I believe that it is relevant.It appeared that she was referring to an April 2017 incident when Trump suggested that COVID-19 could be treated with the injection of disinfectant."I can see the disinfectant. It knocks it out in a minute. Is there a way to do something similar by injecting inside or just cleaning? Trump asked the question at a press conference."Because it gets into the lungs, which is a huge problem for the lungs. It would be fascinating to see if that is true. You'll need to consult medical doctors. But it sounds intriguing to me so we'll wait and see.Continue the storyDoocy's remarks come after Kayleigh McEnany (Trump's ex-press secretary and current Fox News host) on Monday claimed - without any evidence - that the Biden government was the country's biggest contributor to vaccine hesitancy.Biden promoted vaccines before and during his term. Biden received his first and second shots on camera in an effort to reassure the public that it was safe.Business Insider has the original article.
